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North Tiles from Kvadrat are a new way of creating and dividing space. North Tiles are a system of foam and fabric building blocks which can be put together and used as walls, decoration or for dividing rooms. North Tiles also have an acoustic function, as the fabric has a sound-absorbing effect.

North Tiles were designed by French brothers, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, and were originally created for Kvadrat’s new showroom in Stockholm which opened in February 2006. The two designers were given creative freedom and the result was an impressive showroom that demonstrated a new and unique way of using fabric.

When North Tiles are put together, a dramatic and tactile look is created, transforming the space they are used in. The pieces are assembled with the help of a simple and flexible folding system which means that the design of the fabric surfaces is limited only by one’s imagination. The fabric surfaces can be taken apart and put back together, giving the product a high level of variability.

Interest in North Tiles has been so great that the decision has been made to introduce the product as part of Kvadrat’s collection. The idea is that both architects and private individuals should be able to purchase and construct North Tiles walls. The product is available covered with Divina, Divina Melange, Steelcut and Tempo, in more than 100 different colours.

North Tiles were launched at Interieur in Belgium in October 2006. The stand was designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and was reminiscent, both in its colour composition and construction, of a mini version of the showroom in Stockholm. The stand demonstrated how the flexible composition of North Tiles allows for a simple creation of space, in this case using just three walls. The longest was one long wall that was bowed, thus avoiding the creation of corners, giving a more organic look that was not broken when the wall changed direction.

North Tiles were accepted into The Museum of Modern Art’s design collection in New York. In addition to Kvadrat’s showroom in Stockholm, North Tiles were used to construct an indoor pavilion at Musée d’Art Moderne in Luxembourg in 2006, and are specified for a project at the Pompidou Centre in Paris in 2007.

Facts about North Tiles
Designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Kvadrat.
Each North Tile consists of a foam core laminated with fabric.
The system consists of four products: a main tile, a top/bottom tile, a side tile and a corner tile.
North Tiles are available in Divina, Divina Melange, Steelcut and Tempo.
Approx. 14 North Tiles are required to construct one square metre.
A main tile measures 28.4 x 64.5 x 1.7 cm.